Ancient elephant fossil recovered in Java

A nearly-intact skeleton of an ancient skeleton was unearthed near the small town of Blora in Java. The elephant was estimated to have lived between one to two million years ago, possibly rubbing shoulders with the homo erectus. The fossil was excavate with the help of experts from Australia, and is on display at the Geology Museum in Bandung.

The residents of the small town of Blora, 105 kilometers from Semarang, were surprised earlier this year when the most intact fossilized elephant skeleton ever found in Indonesia was unearthed nearby, a senior archeologist said on Thursday.

The recovery of the skeleton was completed last month and it has been taken to the Geology Museum in Bandung, said Suroso, the Ministry of Culture and Tourismâ€™s director of archeological heritage.

â€œOur paleontologists from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) cooperated with Australia experts in the recovery of the ancient fossil,â€ Suroso said.